Chatham Community Library To Host Black History Month Film Series

Chatham Community Library is celebrating Black History Month with a three-part film series beginning on Tuesday, February 12, from 6:00-8:00 pm, in the Holmes Meeting Room.

Films in the series include:

2/12 : Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise(2017). As a singer, dancer, activist, and writer, Maya Angelou inspired generations with boundary-pushing, African-American writings. Trace Angelou's incredible journey as she unwraps untold aspects of her life through rare footage, photographs, and her own words.

2/19: Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities(2017). A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries-and path of promise toward the American dream-Black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field. They have been unapologetically Black for 150 years. For the first time ever, their story is told. Directed by Stanley Nelson, the film won the 2018 Black Reel Award for outstanding independent documentary.

2/26: Belle (2013). This film is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Captain. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield and his wife, Belle's lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Belle won the 2015 Black Reel Award for outstanding actress in a motion picture.

Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and in the Netherlands where it is known as Black Achievement Month. It began as a way for remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.